Traditionally, pictures, mirrors and other framed objects having a generally flat back surface are hung from walls for decorative or functional purposes. In most cases these objects must be hung at a specific location on a wall to ensure artistic coordination between other items on the wall and objects within the room. One frequently used method of determining the proper location of an object being hung on a wall involves having one person hold the object with its back surface against the wall and moving the object along the surface of the wall until another person observes that the object has been optimally positioned.
Typically, an object being hung on a wall has a stretched wire attached to two points on the back surface thereof. Hanging the object involves placing the wire on a picture hanger which has been attached to the wall at an appropriate location. A picture hanger may be a straight line, single piece device such as a nail or other fastener attached to a wall or a two piece device with one piece having a hook for receiving a picture wire and an eye for receiving a fastener with the second piece being a fastener for securing the device to a wall. A two piece device also may have one piece such as a bracket adapted to be attached to the item being hung with the second piece being a fastener secured to a wall.
The location of a picture hanger may be determined by trial and error or by a series of measurements taken from a series of pencil marks placed on the wall adjacent the desired location for the object being hung. One disadvantage of the trial and error method resides in the fact that in most cases it becomes necessary to move the picture hanger a number of times thus leaving a plurality of marks on or holes in the wall. Alternatively, a series of measurements may be made once the desired location of an object has been determined which measurements will determine the precise location of the picture hanging device. Such measurements involve placing marks on the wall, are time consuming and involve some estimates including the amount the wire supporting the hung object may sag or stretch.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,517,860 to Dameron purports to disclose a tool for precisely locating a picture. The disclosed tool has a picture hanging projection at one end and a finger engaging flange at the opposite end. A person hangs the picture on the projection and moves the tool until the optimum picture position has been determined. Thereafter, the picture is removed from the hanger and the location of a picture hanger is marked by placing a mark on the wall through holes located adjacent the projection. Presumably, the picture hanging device would be located by attaching it at the location marked on the wall. This tool is somewhat difficult to manage in that the tool must be held in place while the picture is removed and the location marked, does not provide a simple means for marking the wall and does not address the fact that two piece picture hangers come in different sizes such the the distance between the fastener and the hook for different sized hangers is not uniform.
From the above, it may be observed that it is desirable to provide a picture hanger locating device which is simple, accurate, does not leave extraneous marks on the wall, which is self contained in that it has an integral marking means which works with single piece and two piece hangers and which accommodates different sizes of two piece hangers.